HOHHOT, China, March 1 (UPI) -- A flood in a coal mine under construction in China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region killed one miner and left 31 others trapped Monday, authorities said.
Water deluged the pit of the Luotuoshan Coal Mine, being built in Wuhai City, at least 370 miles from the regional capital, Hohhot, at 7:29 a.m. local time, officials at the rescue operation headquarters told China's state-run Xinhua news agency.
Rescuers were installing pumps and preparing to drill into a mineshaft to reach the trapped miners.
About 45 miners were rescued from the mine, but one died as he was being treated for injuries, authorities said. The miners were among 77 who had been digging tunnels as part of the construction project.
The Luotuoshan mine, under construction since 2006, is projected to produce 1.5 million tons of coal a year. Wuhai Energy Co. and its parent company, Shenhua Group Corp., one of China's major mining firms, own the mine.
